There have beenPokemonbased on animals as long as the franchise has existed. Partly because coming up with something that doesn’t already exist is an incredibly difficult task, but also because it makes manyPokemonseem familiar to players when they see them for the first time. It’s easier to connect with a creature when players can see their pet in its design.
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When it comes to classic pets, cats are rivaled only by dogs in their personality. Pokemon has used cats many times for all kinds of creatures, so every Generation has as least one example. Be they based on the big cats of the animal kingdom or the house cats of our living room; there’s something for everybody amongst their ranks.
14Litleo/Pyroar - The Royal Pokemon
A fierce and iconic lion Pokemon seems like it would’ve been an easy task. However, Game Freak didn’t even attempt to create one untilGeneration 6. Pyroar was the result, and it isn’t much to write home about. Litleo is very cute, and many trainers may have caught themselves one to see what it becomes, but they were probably disappointed.
The problem with both of Pyroar’s forms is that they look too much like a regular lion. Their manes are a bit more colorful, but that’s more or less the only difference between a regular lion and this Pokemon. At least it gave the game’s villain, Lysandre, a Pokemon that looked like him.
13Glameow/Purugly - The Tiger Cat Pokemon
While prejudice is bad, when a Pokemon has “ugly” in its name, expectations aren’t high. Once again, the pre-evolved form sets the bar too high for the final evolution. Glameow is a very appealing design with a lot of character and exaggerates the right parts of a cat.
Purugly is the problem. It’s not an outright bad design, but it spoils a lot of what was great about Glameow. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with a ‘fat cat’ Pokemon with an aloof attitude, Glameow didn’t set that up at all. Rather than feeling like a natural progression, the change comes completely out of the left field.
12Zangoose - Cat Ferret Pokemon
An often forgotten Pokemon, Zangoose isn’t terrible at all; it’s just a bit dull. It has some interesting lore in how it lives in a constant battle with Seviper, but that’s about all it has going for it. If its colors were a bit more extravagant, maybe it would have something to it, but as it stands, it doesn’t.
There’s not much reason for players to use it competitively, either. It has some decent stats, but as a pure Normal-type, it has absolutely nothing to offer. At first glance, it would be hard to even identify it as a cat Pokemon, butthe Pokedex doesn’t lie.
11Purrlion/Liepard - The Cruel Pokemon
Where most cat Pokemon are let down by their fully-evolved form, this line has its problem at the base form. Purrlion is not an appealing Pokemon in the slightest. Its face is ok, but the way it stands on its hind legs feels unnatural, and there’s no design or patterns on its body to justify that choice.
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Liepard, however, is fantastic. As a pure Dark-type is hasa wide movepooland inherent immunity to Psychic Pokemon. Additionally, it does great justice to its leopard-like design while still being plenty new on its own. The color combination of purple and yellow looks great, and it has the right body shape to walk the line between a leopard and a large house cat.
10Zeraora - The Thunderclap Pokemon
One of the only Mythical Pokemon to be based on a cat, Zeroara does look great, but it doesn’t look like a Pokemon. The mix of black and yellow on its body is really appealing, and the blue highlights are the perfect little touch to break up the design. It looks threatening but also kind of cute.
The problem is that it feels like it would be more at home in aSonic the Hedgehoggame than aPokemonone. It feels just a little too human, and the sharp way its fur juts out behind it is very reminiscent of Sonic character design. Like most things, the fanbase seems to have got used to it, but it still feels somewhat out of place.
9Skitty/Delcatty - The Prim Pokemon
This evolution line is an excellent example of how to do house-cat Pokemon. Skitty has an adorable vibe with some nice design touches based on a kitten, like how it can’t fully open its eyes. Then, when it evolves into Delcatty, it gets some more regality, changes color slightly, but still keeps some cuteness at its core.
They’re not without flaws, though. To a certain extent, they’re a little too far apart to evolve directly into each other. It’s not the biggest leap in the franchise, but someone who had never seen them before probably wouldn’t connect them. Their other major issue is that as pure Normal-types with low stats, they’re utterly useless in any kind of battle situation.
8Meowth/Persian - The Classy Cat Pokemon
Meowth is an unstoppably iconic Pokemon. Its role as a member ofTeam Rocketmeans it will forever be beloved by fans. Game Freak seems to have a fondness for it, too, as it has not just one but two regional variations to date, and even a brand new evolution in Perserker.
Persian is a nice design but is a bit too plain for its own good. The character and charm from Meowth’s design disappear, and it just becomes a regular cat with plain fur. It’s a shame that it drags Meowth down so heavily, but Persian is one of the most boring designs out there.
7Espurr/Meowstic - The Constraint Pokemon
While Generation 6 hasn’t had many Pokemon go down in fond memory, there are ones like Meowstic that perhaps should’ve gotten a fairer shake. Espurr is a pretty basic design, but it fulfills its role, managing to be cute and creepy at the same time.
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When it evolves in Meowstic, it becomes more serious, close-off, and visually more cat-like. It’s a great visual representation of how this Pokemon learns to control its vast power. It has different designs dependant on its gender, and both are very appealing in their own ways. They’ve even gota cool Shiny form.
6Solgaleo - The Sunne Pokemon
One Generation after Pyroar, Game Freak would give a Lion Pokemon another try, with far better results. A Pokemon designed to represent the Sun while also being from another universe is one hell of a design brief, but Solgaleo hits every mark.
Using the mane as the “sun” part was an obvious choice that has been pulled off well. Having such a heavy-looking metal body adds to its power factor, and the plain color is broken up by yellow and orange highlights that draw the eye to the face. The face which has this otherworldly mystery to it, players may be forgiven for thinking it’s an electronic display at first. However, looking closer, it feels like there’s a whole universe sitting just behind Solgaleo’s eyes.
5Litten/Torracat/Incineroar - The Heel Pokemon
A Pokemon popular enough to be added toSuper Smash Bros, Incineroar straddles the line between looking too human while sticking to its animalistic routes. Based on pro-wrestling and the concept of a “heel” or “bad guy”, Incineorar has a very fierce aura creating a design full of character.
On top of that, its pre-evolutions are great examples of howStarter Pokemonshould slowly iterate on each other as they evolve. Litten is small and cute, but with clear features of its future designs. Torracat grows in size, staying true to what Litten was, but exaggerating its key features more. Then, it bursts into Incineroar, and the growth feels satisfyingly complete.
